Ouch. What a season the Carolina Hurricanes had last year. Not much can be said about their disastrous effort during the 2009 portion of the 2009-10 season, but the 2010 part proved that the Hurricanes can still rock ’em.

Save The Date (season matchups): October 27 in Carolina; November 24 in Carolina; November 28 in Washington; December 26 in Carolina; March 11 in Washington; March 29 in Washington,

Last season really is a ghost for Carolina because the first half of the season was downright frightening. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde might be an even better comparison. A 2-12-4 start, including a franchise-worst 14 game winless streak of 0-10-4, spelled doom early for the Hurricanes. But the same team went on a 21-10-3 tear through the latter half of the season and missed the playoffs by only eight points.

Injuries and a suspect defense were the main culprits for Carolina’s woes. Important producers like LW/RW Chad LaRose, RW Erik Cole, LW/RW Tuomo Ruutu, and most importantly, G Cam Ward, missed significant time during different parts of the season. Ward suffered a leg laceration and an upper body injury and missed a total of 31 games. Legace filled in admirably, but won’t return this season. The Hurricanes will look to Justin Peters to grow up quickly and become an adequate back-up.

The Hurricanes’ D didn’t do much right. The team’s 3.06 GAA was good (or bad) for 26th in the league and no Hurricane defenseman scored more than six goals or had a +/- over 7.

The banged-up Hurricanes, however, still got plenty of production from C (center and captain) Eric Staal, who despite missing 12 games of his own, accumulated 70 points. LW Jussi Jokinen scored a career-high 30 goals, while second-year C Brandon Sutter scored 21 goals of his own.

Wish List (season outlook): The loss of a proven leader like Brind’Amour and a consistent producer like Whitney might rattle some teams, but the Hurricanes are poised for a return to glory with an injection of youth. Top draft pick Jeff Skinner is a dangerous sniper and D Jamie McBain had an exciting 14-game stint with the Hurricanes at the end of the season, where he dazzled fans with clutch plays. Former Edmonton first-round pick Riley Nash could also make an impact at some point during the season.

The return of Babchuk and Corvo to the aforementioned depleted defensive corps should light a spark underneath fellow defensemen Joni Pitkanen and Tim Gleason. But Ward’s resurgence will be the biggest factor. If Ward, who has three 30 + win seasons to his credit, can return to his Conn Smythe-winning form, the Hurricanes are a dangerous team. A Hurricane Watch is in effect.

3 responses to “KOL Season’s Greetings: Carolina”

As a Canes fan, I appreciate the concise, cogent, and balanced reporting on the Hurricanes team. Clearly, the Hurricanes are not a virtual lock for the playoffs, the way the Capitals and Penguins are; but then, the Canes don’t have some of the best duos and trios in the NHL: Ovechkin & Semin or Crosby, Malkin, and Jordan Staal.

Thanks Doug for the kind words. Eric Staal, Jussi Jokinen and Brandon Sutter can definitely develop into a top trio. The firepower and talent is definitely there. Either way, the Hurricanes were the best 2nd half team in the NHL last season and should be a force (no pun intended) to be reckoned with this season.